Resident moves court for stay on Metro construction

Mumbai Alleging that safety measures taken by the Mumbai Metro One Private Ltd (MMOPL) — constructing the Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar Metro Rail Corridor-1 — are inadequate, Andheri-resident Monica Matani has moved the Bombay High Court to stay further construction and quash the No-Objection Certificate (NOC) granted by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s Chief Fire Officer (CFO) last year.

Matani, in her PIL, has contended that the 12-km corridor, consists of 12 station buildings that are being built in violation of the Development Control Rules (DCR) and the National Building Code.

“The designs for the entire 12-km length of the viaduct connecting the stations have not even been submitted to the fire department nor has an NOC been sought from or granted by the CFO for the viaduct, though mandatorily required,” Matani’s PIL states.

Stating that entrances to the stations are being constructed on busy and congested roads, Matani has cautioned, “Any incident of fire on the viaduct or station building or in adjacent buildings will have serious and disastrous effects on commuters, residents, users, occupants, and on the huge pedestrian and vehicular traffic below the Metro rail on the roads.”

The PIL claims that while construction of the Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar stretch started in February 2008, an application for NOC from fire department was made only in December 2009.

On February 5, 2011 an NOC was issued by the CFO, three years after the construction began in the Metro yard at Versova, the PIL claims. This, according to Matani, is a “blanket” NOC for all 12 Metro stations on the corridor, which is illegal. Each station has its unique fire risk potential and should have been assessed individually by the CFO before granting the NOC, the PIL states.